Protective collar

ABSTRACT

The invention provides a protective collar ( 1 ) for use with a full-face crash helmet ( 2 ), particularly for use in motor sports. The collar ( 1 ) is at least partially formed from a resilient material that in use extends peripherally entirely around a user&#39;s neck. The collar ( 1 ) has a recess ( 9 ) in which a lower part of the crash helmet ( 2 ) is received and secured, and helmet retaining means (e.g loop-pile fastening strips) ( 14 ) are provided for retaining the helmet ( 2 ) within the recess ( 9 ). The recess ( 9 ) has an upwardly facing bottom surface ( 10 ) which abuts the lower part of the helmet ( 2 ) and a peripherally extending, inwardly facing wall surface ( 11 ) which extends upwardly from the bottom surface ( 10 ). The wall surface ( 11 ) closely fits against the lower part of the helmet ( 2 ) around the periphery of the helmet. The collar ( 1 ) is shaped to limit movement, both laterally and in a fore-and-aft direction, of the wearer&#39;s head in the event of a violent acceleration or deceleration, such as may occur in an accident.

[0001] The invention disclosed below relates to a protective collar usedto enhance the protection given by a crash helmet to the head and neckof a wearer, when engaged in such activities as motor racing.

[0002] It is nowadays a virtually universal practice—and often arequirement—for participants in such sports as motor racing (includingopen wheel, speedway, dragster-type, sports cars and sedan cars and evengo karts) and motor boat racing to wear crash helmets for protection inthe event of an accident. Such helmets help to protect the head andupper neck of their wearer, and are considered to be of proven benefit.From early bowl-shaped helmets which simply covered the top of the head,to helmets extending downwards approximately to the wearer's jawline atthe sides and partly down the rear of the head to cover the upper neck,there have evolved “full face” helmets which also have a sectionextending around the wearer's chin, the face being protected by atransparent visor. Such helmets are also widely worn by motorcyclistsfor ordinary use on public roads.

[0003] In sporting applications particularly, other protective equipmenthas been developed for wearing by participants, such as protectivesuits, boots and the like. Vehicles other than motorcycles have beenfitted with reinforced structures, rapidly-deployable airbags andrestraining harnesses for further protection.

[0004] Yet collisions and other types of accidents occur and injuriesincurred in them may still be very severe, and these include injuries tothe upper neck and head areas of persons wearing full-face crashhelmets. One measure which has been taken to give additional protectionto such persons is the use of a collar of resilient material wornbetween the upper body and the base of a crash helmet. Some such collarsare split at the front so that they can be more easily placed around theneck and have fastenings at the front so that once around the neck theywill remain there. These can limit to some degree the movement of ahelmet (and the head inside it) during an impact or rapid deceleration.They can, however, be uncomfortable and unduly restrictive to headmovement in ordinary situations, as when a wearer wishes to look quicklyfrom side to side while driving in a race.

[0005] It should be understood that the combination of a head and ahelmet is of considerable weight and if it is allowed to move violentlyin an impact, rapid deceleration or other event, large stresses can beplaced on the upper spine, potentially leading to excessive extensionand/or bending resulting in injury such as spine fractures, “whiplash”,other soft tissue injuries and the like.

[0006] A related development has been the provision of collars whichthemselves employ rapidly-deployable airbags which inflate when animpact is sensed, the inflated bag purportedly protecting the upper bodyand steadying the helmet against excessively violent movement. Suchdevices are expensive and comparatively complex and appear not to havebecome popular.

[0007] The present invention has been developed to provide protectionagainst the effects of excessively violent movement of the head and neckof a full-face crash helmet wearer more effectively than the simpleresilient collars mentioned above and without the complexity, expenseand possible unreliability of airbag-type devices. A particularobjective has been to improve the protection of a full-face crash helmetwearer in the event of a side impact. An additional objective has beento give such protection while limiting as little as possible the freedomof movement of the wearer.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0008] According to the invention there is provided a protective collarfor use with full-face crash helmets,

[0009] including a collar member at least partially formed from aresilient material which in use extends peripherally entirely around auser's neck

[0010] said collar member having a recess in which a lower part of afull-face crash helmet is receivable and securable and helmet retainingmeans for retaining said crash helmet within said recess,

[0011] said recess having an upwardly facing bottom surface which in useabuts said lower part of said helmet and a peripherally extending wallsurface which extends upwardly from said surface to a top surface ofsaid collar, faces into said recess and in use of said collar closelyfits against said lower part of said helmet around the peripherythereof,

[0012] wherein in use of said collar said user's neck passes through anopening in said collar member, said opening having an upper end withinsaid recess and inwardly facing surfaces conforming closely to at leastboth sides and the back of said user's neck.

[0013] The feature of close fitting of the protective collar inparticular, in combination with the other features mentioned above,gives advantages in use which will be further explained below.Preferably, the periphery of said opening said collar has a thicknessgreater than or equal to the average depth of said recess. Thisthickness, below said recess in a direction perpendicular to said bottomsurface, may be substantially constant. A front part of said opening inuse of said collar may extend in a forward direction clear of saiduser's neck. This is for comfort—for example to clear a wearer's “Adam'sapple”—and to provide an air inlet to the helmet interior.

[0014] Preferably, the collar member has a split at a peripherallocation so that parts of said collar on opposing sides of said splitare separable by a user to enable said collar to be fitted around saidlower part of said helmet. This facilitates putting the collar on afterthe helmet is secured to the wearer's head in conventional fashion. Itis then desirable that the collar include closure means for holding saidparts on opposing sides of said split in defined positions against eachother after fitting of said collar around said helmet.

[0015] Loop-pile fasteners of the type known by the trade name “Velcro”are particularly suitable for the closure means and may be applied inseveral ways. Thus, the closure means may include a strap secured tosaid collar member and having secured at one end thereof a first half ofa loop-pile fastener combination such as “Velcro”, a second half of saidfastener combination being secured to said collar member and located sothat when said fastener halves are mated with each other said split isheld closed. Preferably, this strap is secured to an external surface ofsaid collar member. It may provide significant reinforcement orstiffening for the collar member.

[0016] Alternatively, the closure means may include a strap secured tosaid collar member and having secured at one end thereof a first half ofa loop-pile fastener combination such as “Velcro”, a second half of saidfastener combination being secured to a second end of said strap andsaid strap being secured to an external surface of said collar member.This strap can extend substantially entirely around the collar member'speriphery and, again, provide a significant reinforcement or stiffeningeffect.

[0017] In yet another alternative, the closure means may include a strapsecured to said collar member and having secured at one end thereof afirst half of a loop-pile fastener combination such as “Velcro”, asecond half of said fastener combination being secured to a second strapand said strap and said second straps being secured to external surfacesof said collar member. In this case, extending the first and secondstraps around a large part of the collar member's periphery can stiffenor reinforce it.

[0018] Preferably, the split is at a peripheral location which in use ofsaid collar is at the most forward point of said collar. It is alsopreferred that said parts of said collar on opposing sides of said splithave formations which in use of said collar fit cooperatively againsteach other.

[0019] It is especially preferred that said collar member /Includes leftand right formations on opposing sides which in use with said user in alooking-straight-ahead position are located adjacently to left and rightupper surfaces of said user's thorax between said user's neck and leftand right shoulders and which are shaped and extend downwardly so as tobe close to but clear of said surfaces. Alternatively, these formationsmay in use contact said surfaces, but sufficiently lightly to allowrotation of said helmet by said user without substantial restriction.

[0020] It is also especially preferred that said collar member includesat least one downwardly depending front formation at a front part ofsaid collar member which in use is located adjacently to and clear of aclothed surface of an upper chest portion of said user and which isadapted to contact said clothed surface of said upper chest portion inthe event of a predetermined amount of forward bending of said user'sneck from a normal looking-straight-ahead position. In particular, theremay be two said front formations on said collar member said two frontformations being laterally spaced apart from each other. This allows airto pass between them for ventilation of the helmet interior as disclosedbelow.

[0021] It is further especially preferred that said collar memberincludes a formation downwardly depending from a rear part thereof whichin use is located adjacently to and clear of a the nape of the neck (ora surface of clothing thereon) and which is adapted to contact the saidnape or surface of clothing in the event of a predetermined amount ofrearward bending of said user's neck from a normallooking-straight-ahead position.

[0022] Said helmet retaining means may include at least oneloop-and-pile fastener part secured to said collar member within saidrecess and positioned to mate with a cooperating part of saidloop-and-pile fastener on said lower part of said helmet when said lowerpart is received in said recess.

[0023] Preferably, the collar member is formed at least in part from aresilient expanded plastics foam. It may even more preferably be formedas a single integral member.

[0024] The appended claims are explicitly made a part of thisdisclosure.

[0025] A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described indetail by reference to the following Figures:

[0026]FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protective collar according tothe invention, together with a full-face crash helmet;

[0027]FIG. 2 is a plan view of a collar member being a component of theprotective collar shown in FIG. 1;

[0028]FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view of the component shown in FIG. 2,taken at Station“AA”;

[0029]FIG. 4 is a side elevation of the component shown in FIG. 2, takenin the direction of arrow “B”;

[0030]FIG. 5 is a front view of the component shown in FIG. 2 taken inthe direction of arrow “C”;

[0031]FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional sketch of a user of the collar andhelmet shown in FIG. 1, seen from ahead, with the helmet seen intransverse cross-section;

[0032]FIG. 7 is a view the same as FIG. 6 save for omission of thecollar therein.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

[0033]FIG. 1 shows a protective collar 1 according to the invention,together with a full-face crash helmet 2 with which collar 1 is used.Collar 1 includes as its main component a collar member 3 formed as asingle piece of expanded plastics foam of suitable resilience anddeformability. Collar 1 also includes a webbing strap 4. To one end ofthe strap 4 is secured a pad 6 which forms a first half of a loop-pilefastener of known type (available for example under the trade name“Velcro”). The strap 4 extends peripherally around, and is secured overmost of its length by adhesive to, an external surface 5 of collarmember 3. Secured to a second end of strap 4 is a pad 7 forming a secondhalf of the loop-pile fastener.

[0034] Collar member 3 is generally ring-shaped, with a central opening8 within a recess 9. Recess 9 is defined by a lower surface 10 and aninwardly-facing wall 11 upstanding from surface 10 and extendingperipherally around collar member 3. Recess 9 is so shaped and sizedthat a lower part 12 of helmet 2 can be received in recess 9, snuglyfitting therein around its entire periphery and with its lower rim 13abutting surface 10. To retain helmet 2 within recess 9, recess 9 isprovided with several loop-pile fastener halves 14, each positioned tocooperate with loop-pile fastener halves 15 secured to helmet 2.

[0035] In use of the collar 1, the neck of a user 23 (not shown inFIG. 1) passes through opening 8. The collar member 3 has a split 16extending through it at its forwardmost point, so that it can be sprungapart there by a user wearing helmet 2 and placed around helmet 2.Adjoining loop-pile fastener halves 14 and 15 then mate with each other.Then, to fully secure collar 1 in position, ends of strap 4 are passedto each other so that pads 6 and 7 abut and fasten strap 4 snugly aroundthe surface 5 of collar member 3. Some tension can be put in the strap 4so that the split 16 is kept firmly closed.

[0036] Below surface 10, collar member 3 is of a substantial (and inthis preferred embodiment substantially constant) thickness, typicallygreater than the depth of recess 9. Opening 8 is sized and shaped sothat around most of its periphery it closely fits against the user'sneck. To minimize possible discomfort, longitudinally-extending flutes17 are provided around the periphery so that only surfaces 18 actuallycontact the neck. Flutes 17 allow for some ventilation and drainage ofsweat from inside the helmet 2 as necessary. Hidden lines associatedwith the flutes 17 and surfaces 18 are omitted from FIG. 4, for clarity.

[0037] An extension 78 of opening 8 is provided at a forward end ofopening 8. This provides a pathway for air into the helmet 2 andclearance for a user's “Adam's apple” (where applicable).

[0038] Collar member 3 is extended laterally by formations 19 and 20which, in use of collar 1 and with the user 23 looking straight ahead,are located above those parts of his or her body between the neck andshoulders. As best seen in FIG. 5, formations 19 and 20 have downwardextensions 21 and 22. FIG. 5 does show user 23 and it will be seen thatextensions 21 and 22 are arranged to lie slightly above the user's body.Thus they provide no obstacle to user 23 turning to look to either side.(Some very slight brushing of clothing of the user 23 by extensions21and 22 is acceptable, however, although not preferred.) Note that FIG.5 shows the collar member 3 only in a normal position of use of collar1, the strap 4 having been omitted for clarity.

[0039] Collar member 3 also has a rear neck pad 24 which extendsdownwardly from collar member 3 at its rear. Neck pad 24 does not in anormal driving position of user 23 contact the nape of his or her neck,but is arranged to do so in the event of a small degree of backwardrotation of the user's head.

[0040] Collar member 3 also has two chest pads 25 and 26 which extenddownwardly from collar member 3 at its front, on opposing sides of split16. Chest pads 25 and 26 do not in a normal driving position of user 23contact his or her chest, but are arranged to contact the chest in theevent of a small degree of forward rotation of the user's head.

[0041] Chest pads 25 and 26 are spaced apart laterally, thereby todefine a space 27 between them. Particularly when the collar 1 is usedin conditions where there is significant airflow on front surfaces ofthe helmet 2 and collar 1 (as for example in some open-wheel racingcars) air flows through space 27 and upwards through extension 78 ofopening 18 into helmet 2.

[0042] Because chest pads 25 and 26, rear neck pad 24 and extensions 21and 22 do not in a normal driving position contact the body of user 23,the user 23 has a small but adequate amount of freedom to move the head,as necessary.

[0043] Chest pads 25 and 26, extensions 21 and 22 and rear neck pad 24are all separate from each other on collar member 3, so that theyoperate substantially independently.

[0044] Helmet 2 is of conventional type (save for the added loop-pilefastener halves 15) and may have a normal chinstrap arrangement forsecuring on the user's head. The collar 1 is independent of, and doesnot significantly affect operation of, chinstrap.

[0045] External surface 5 of collar member 3 is cylindrical in the sensethat its cross-sectional shape in plan view is substantially constant(although not circular) with height. This facilitates the use of acomparatively wide webbing-type strap 4 which in practice gives a degreeof additional stiffening or reinforcement to collar member 3, by beingwrapped firmly around it in use of collar 1.

[0046] Split 16 is not a simple cut in collar member 3, but as best seenin FIG. 2 has opposing male and female faces (79 and 80) which areshaped to cooperate with each other when the strap 4 is secured aroundcollar member 3. This is to ensure that there is proper alignment of theparts of collar member 3 on opposing sides of the split 16. This is alsoin the interests of the most secure possible retention of helmet 2 inrecess 9 of collar member 3.

[0047]FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional sketch of user 23, seen from ahead,wearing helmet 2 and collar 1 (both seen in cross-section) andundergoing a side impact. The impact is such that the user's head 28 andthe helmet 2 are moving in the direction of arrow 29, but are veryrapidly stopping, so that they are actually subject to a rapiddeceleration in the direction of arrow 29. The net effect is equivalentto a large, short-lived lateral force acting at the combined centre ofmass of the helmet 2 and head 28 with a line of action as shown byvector 39 in FIG. 6. With helmet 2 secured within recess 9 of collarmember 3, helmet 2 and collar 1 effectively act essentially as a singleunit protecting head 28. The main forces applied to the user 23 due todeceleration of the head/helmet/collar combination will then beapproximately as shown (not to scale) by the following vectors in FIG.6—a friction force 33 and a downward force 34 on the upper body 32, aside force 35 applied to the neck 30, an upward force 36 applied to thechin 31 by chinstrap 37 and a side force 38 applied by helmet 2 to head28. Of course, this is an idealization. These forces are actuallyresultants of pressure and shear stress distributions over areas ofcontact between the helmet/collar combination and the user 23. It hasbeen assumed that the head 28 is heavier than the helmet 2, as isintended to be the case in practice, and forces developed against thetop of the head 28 by chinstrap tension have been ignored as they arenot relevant to this disclosure.

[0048] If the user 23 undergoes the same impact without the benefit ofcollar 1, and attempts to resist his head 28 being thrown sideways, thenas shown in FIG. 7, neck 30 is subject at its base to a bending momentor torque (represented by arrow 40) and shear force 41. These are largefor severe impacts, and in practice the neck 30 both bends and extendsand there may be serious injury to the spinal column and/or surroundingsoft tissue.

[0049] Returning to FIG. 6, the effect of the collar member 3 beingclosely fitting about neck 30 is that force 39 causes both forces 33 and35. Without such close fitting between collar member 3 and neck 30,there would be no force 35, and force 33 would be correspondingly largerfor a given dynamic force 39 (i.e. for a given deceleration rate). Then,if such larger friction force cannot be developed, or if the collardeformation required to do so is large, lateral displacement of head 28will be greater, with more bending and stretching of neck 30, withhigher risk of injury. That is, a close fit of neck 30 in opening 8 ofcollar member 3 allows more effective transfer of loads associated witha side impact to the upper body 32 and less head/neck deflection.

[0050] Exactly the same principle applies in the case of forwardimpacts, in which very rapid stopping throws head 28 forward. In thatcase, some dynamic load is transferred directly as pressure to the napeof neck 30 by collar member 3.

[0051] Accordingly, collar 1 has better performance than a conventionalcollar without a close fit around the neck, or no collar at all. In thecase of a conventional collar (not shown) between helmet 2 and upperbody 32 and snugly fitting around neck 30, it is believed that more ofthe component of lateral dynamic force 39 due to the mass of the helmet2 would have to be absorbed by the neck 30 than in the case of collar 1,as the better lateral support of helmet 2 in recess 9 of collar 1 isabsent.

[0052] There are other advantages of the collar 1 as described above.For example, collar 1, despite its apparent bulk, is of generallyrounded shape and somewhat streamlines a wearer's helmet/neck area.Turbulence of air in the space below the helmet 2 is thought to bereduced by collar 1. This, together with direct lateral support of neck30, in turn may help reduce buffeting-type uncontrolled movement of thehelmet at high speeds in non-enclosed vehicles.

[0053] Many variations may be made without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention.

The claims defining the invention are as follows:
 1. A protective collarfor use with full-face crash helmets including a collar member at leastpartially formed from a resilient material which in use extendsperipherally entirely around a user's neck said collar member having arecess in which a lower part of a full-face crash helmet is receivableand securable and helmet retaining means for retaining said crash helmetwithin said recess, said recess having an upwardly facing bottom surfacewhich in use abuts said lower part of said helmet and a peripherallyextending wall surface which extends upwardly from said surface to a topsurface of said collar, faces into said recess and in use of said collarclosely fits against said lower part of said helmet around the peripherythereof wherein in use of said collar said user's neck passes through anopening in said collar member, said opening having an upper end withinsaid recess and inwardly facing surfaces conforming closely to at leastboth sides and the back of said user's neck.
 2. A protective collaraccording to claim 1 wherein at the periphery of said opening saidcollar has a thickness greater than or equal to the average depth ofsaid recess.
 3. A protective collar according to claim 1 or 2 wherein afront part of said opening in use of said collar extends in a forwarddirection clear of said user's neck.
 4. A protective collar according toany one of claims 1 to 3 wherein said collar member has a substantiallyconstant thickness below said recess in a direction perpendicular tosaid bottom surface.
 5. A protective collar according to any one ofclaims 1 to 4 wherein said collar member has a split at a peripherallocation so that parts of said collar on opposing sides of said splitare separable by a user to enable said collar to be fitted around saidlower part of said helmet.
 6. A protective collar according to claim 5further including closure means for holding said parts on opposing sidesof said split in defined positions against each other after fitting ofsaid collar around said helmet.
 7. A protective collar according toclaim 6 wherein said closure means includes a strap secured to saidcollar member and having secured at one end thereof a first half of aloop-pile fastener combination such as “Velcro”, a second half of saidfastener combination being secured to said collar member and located sothat when said fastener halves are mated with each other said split isheld closed.
 8. A protective collar according to claim 7 wherein saidstrap is secured to an external surface of said collar member.
 9. Aprotective collar according to claim 6 where said closure means includesa strap secured to said collar member and having secured at one endthereof, a first half of a loop-pile fastener combination such as“Velcro”, a second half of said fastener combination being secured to asecond end of said strap and said strap being secured to an externalsurface of said collar member.
 10. A protective collar according toclaim 6 wherein said closure means includes a strap secured to saidcollar member and having secured at one end thereof a first half of aloop-pile fastener combination such as “Velcro”, a second half of saidfastener combination being secured to a second strap and said strap andsaid second straps being secured to external surfaces of said collarmember.
 11. A protective collar according to any one of claims 5 to 10wherein said split is at a peripheral location which in use of saidcollar is at the most forward point of said collar.
 12. A protectivecollar according to any one of claims 5 to 11 wherein said parts of saidcollar on opposing sides of said split have formations which in use ofsaid collar fit cooperatively against each other.
 13. A protectivecollar according to any one of claims 1 to 12 wherein said collar memberincludes left and right formations on opposing sides which in use withsaid user in a looking-straight-ahead position are located adjacently toleft and right upper surfaces of said user's thorax between said user'sneck and left and right shoulders and which are shaped and extenddownwardly so as to be close to but clear of said surfaces.
 14. Aprotective collar according to any one of claims 1 to 13 wherein saidcollar member includes left and right formations on opposing sides whichin use with said user in a looking-straight-ahead position are locatedadjacently to left and right upper surfaces of said user's thoraxbetween said user's neck and left and right shoulders so as to contactsaid surfaces sufficiently lightly to allow rotation of said helmet bysaid user without substantial restriction.
 15. A protective collaraccording to any one of claims 1 to 14 wherein said collar memberincludes at least one downwardly depending front formation at a frontpart of said collar member which in use is located adjacently to andclear of a clothed surface of an upper chest portion of said user andwhich is adapted to contact said clothed surface of said upper chestportion in the event of a predetermined amount of forward bending ofsaid user's neck from a normal looking-straight-ahead position.
 16. Aprotective collar according to claim 15 including two said frontformations on said collar member said two front formations beinglaterally spaced apart from each other.
 17. A protective collaraccording to any one of claims 1 to 16 wherein said collar memberincludes a formation downwardly depending from a rear part thereof whichin use is located adjacently to and clear of a the nape of the neck (ora surface of clothing thereon) and which is adapted to contact the saidnape or surface of clothing in the event of a predetermined amount ofrearward bending of said user's neck from a normallooking-straight-ahead position.
 18. A protective collar according toany one of claims 1 to 17 wherein said helmet retaining means includesat least one loop-and-pile fastener part secured to said collar memberwithin said recess and positioned to mate with a cooperating part ofsaid loop-and-pile fastener on said lower part of said helmet when saidlower part is received in said recess.
 19. A protective collar accordingto any one of claims 1 to 18 wherein said collar member is formed atleast in part from a resilient expanded plastics foam.
 20. A protectivecollar according to any one of claims 1 to 19 wherein said collar memberis formed as a single integral member.